I live on a small court high on a hill overlooking London, Ontario. This means I enjoy one of the best views of sunsets in the area. If a sunset is spectacular, there is a good chance I'll see it, walk across the court and take a shot.
On the downside, my point-and-shoot has a tough time with images that have both deep shadows and bright highlights. Keeping detail in the shadows while also retaining texture in the high end values is impossible. I can see it but my camera can't.
The solution? Take two pictures and slide them together in an application like Photoshop. The problem: some folk will claim this is dishonest. The picture was created by a software app. and not simply taken.
I can see the argument and in some situations it has validity -- but not here. My wife saw the sunset last night and when she saw my image she said I had captured the moment. My sunset picture captures the wonderful colours of last night's sunset. Without the aid of Photoshop, my final image would have been pale imitations of reality -- maybe not a lie but a poor retelling of the story.
Don't let critical words get between you and a fine picture.
